The present invention relates generally to gauge wheels for agricultural implements, and more specifically to a gauge wheel arm adjustment device for providing continuous arm adjustment with positive locking of the arm in any desired position.
Manually adjustable gauge wheels are commonly available for agricultural implements to maintain or assist in maintaining a preselected tillage depth. In addition, the gauge wheel may be used to support the implement during storage or times when the implement is disconnected from the tractor. For example, a gauge wheel is available as an attachment for tractor-mounted integral plows to maintain proper depth in adverse plowing conditions, and the wheel is lowered as a support when the plow is detached from the hitch.
Most manually adjustable gauge wheels, whether utilized on a plow or on another type of agricultural equipment, are only adjustable in increments. Some include apertured bracket and arm arrangement with the arm secured in one of a plurality of positions by a pin passing through the apertures. Although this arrangement positively fixes the arm with respect to the implement frame even under heavy loading, there is no way to fine tune the depth adjustment. Other arrangements commonly utilized with plow gauge wheels or the like include serrations or notches along slots and in the brackets to positively clamp the gauge wheel arm, but these are relatively bulky and expensive and do not permit continuous adjustment.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved gauge wheel arm adjustment device for an agricultural implement.
It is another object to provide an improved gauge wheel arm adjustment device which permits continuous adjustment of the wheel arm. It is a further object to provide such a device which is securable in any of an infinite number of positions by a single bolt and which eliminates need for a large clamping bolts or serrated brackets or washers.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a continuous gauge wheel arm adjustment device which is simpler and more economical to construct than at least many other presently available devices and yet is positively lockable in any desired position with an ordinary bolt. It is another object to provide such a device which utilizes a scissors action between overlapping and relatively angled slots and a securing bolt to achieve both infinite adjustment and positive arm locking.
In accordance with the above objects, a first slotted plate is rigidly secured to the frame of the implement. A gauge wheel arm or similar member is pivotally connected to the frame and carries a second slotted plate for movement adjacent the first slotted plate as the arm rocks. The slots in the two plates are angled with respect to each other so that the overlapping areas of the slots move radially with respect to the pivot as the arm is adjusted. A bolt is inserted into the overlapping area and tightened to secure the plates with respect to each other and thereby fix the arm in the desired location. The angle between the slots is selected so that the edges of the slots contact the securing bolt shank in scissors fashion to thereby increase the securing action provided by the bolt without having to increase the clamping force of the bolt against the plates. A series of slots is provided in one of the plates to extend the range of adjustment without an overly long slot. The multiple slots permit use of a simple, compact bracket for continuous adjustment of the arm over a relatively wide range of angles with respect to the frame.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description which follows and from the drawings.